Taliban Decree Bans Windows Overlooking Areas Used by Women

The Taliban's latest directive restricts building designs to prevent visibility into spaces where Afghan women are present, further erasing their presence from public and private life.

The Taliban's supreme leader issued a decree prohibiting windows in new buildings that overlook areas such as kitchens, courtyards, and wells used by women, citing concerns over 'obscene acts.'
Existing buildings with such windows are required to block views by constructing walls or other barriers, with enforcement overseen by municipal authorities.
This measure is part of a broader campaign since 2021 to exclude women from public spaces, including bans on education, employment in many sectors, and access to public parks and salons.
Women in Afghanistan are also prohibited from singing, reciting poetry, or speaking audibly in public, and their voices have been removed from some radio and television broadcasts.
The United Nations has condemned these policies as 'gender apartheid,' highlighting the ongoing erosion of women's rights under Taliban rule.

Sächsische Zeitung

Le Canard enchaîné

Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung

Le Journal du Dimanche

Le Figaro